In underground mining, scraper chain conveyors are used as face conveyors, drift conveyors or transfer conveyors in order to, on the one hand, convey the minerals mined with a mining tool, e.g. coal, from the face and, on the other hand, deliver it to a drift conveyor, in particular a belt conveyor, with which the material is transported over large distances. While face conveyors are generally provided with drive stations at both ends, in the case of the drift conveyor and, in particular, in the case of the transfer conveyor, on one side only a tail station are used, which tail station differs from a drive station in that the reversing chain wheel, or the chain wheel shaft which supports it, is not coupled to a drive. The tail station of a transfer conveyor can be configured, above all, as a so-called cross frame, in which, in particular, the installation space for the reversing chain wheel and the chain wheel shaft which supports it is relatively tight.
Tail stations of the generic type, including in the form of a cross frame, are known to the person skilled in the art of underground mining. In principle, it is possible also in the tail station to use the same chain wheel shaft or chain wheel assembly as in a drive station, as is described, for example, in DE 20 2004 013 198 U1. From DE 42 00 565 A1, it is further known to design the transfer station such that the machine frame can be used for the left-hand connection or right-hand connection of a drift conveyor, according to choice.
From DE 100 50 699 C1 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,074), it is known to mount the drive shaft of a conveyor drive station on a machine frame in a height-adjustable manner by means of adapter plates. The height adjustability is realized by means of long holes in the adapter plates and threaded screws screwed into the machine frame.